The Florida A&M Lady Rattlers Volleyball team came back for the kill against Jacksonville University winning their senior game (24-26, 21-25, 25-17,25-21,15-12). The ladies lost the first two sets due to unforced errors.
The Dolphins hitters found a weak spot in the Rattlers defense by continuously hitting the ball in the back row. To their advantage, they also tipped the ball in the center of the court, where the Rattlers were struggling to move and get to the ball.
Sophomore outside hitter, Dei’ja Martin, said they usually start the game off slow but they need to start keeping up with the intensity.
“Our hearts were still in Baltimore after our [MEAC] loss,” Martin said. “Then all of a sudden we thought, no we need to picked it up for our seniors.”
Head coach Tanio Trifonov spoke about how a majority of the mistakes made were by the freshman, but he is confident that they will grow in the next three years.
"Our defense needs to improve tremendously, it’s been a weakness of this team all season,” Trifonov said. “Hopefully with the new recruits and practice we will plug all of those holes.”
At the beginning of the third set, you could see a difference in the Rattlers. There were fewer errors and it was clear to see the movement on the court. They hustled very hard and won the next three sets.
Freshman outside hitter, Pamela Soriano, had a great game and you could see her all over the court never easing her intensity. She had 24 kills, 15 digs and two blocks.
Another key player is junior outside hitter Yeisha Arcia. She finished the night with 15 kills, 21 digs and two blocks.
A huge momentum changer was made by junior outside hitter Tamar Fowler and Martin.
The two hitters seemed to be in sync as they went up to the net to block the Dolphins.
“We were able to develop the same technique rhythm and movement of our body,” Fowler said.
“It definitely boosts everyone on the team’s confidence knowing they can shut someone down,” Martin said.
Humor was key to keeping high spirits on the team, and Fowler was heard making jokes to cheer up her teammates.
“Overall, we’re a very young team and we’re only losing one starter, our libero, and we have a very good recruiting class coming in so we’re very excited for our next season.” Trifonov said.